TAMPA — Sophomore Mike White, who started the final five games last season, was named the University of South Florida’s starting quarterback for the Aug. 30 opener against Western Carolina.

Coach Willie Taggart’s decision was made public Sunday night on the USF football Twitter feed.

White completed 53.1 percent of his passes last season for 1,083 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions. He beat out junior Steven Bench, a Penn State transfer who played in seven USF games last season and started two.

Last season, Taggart kept his plans under wraps until the final weekend, when he named Matt Floyd ahead of Bobby Eveld. But in a 53-21 opening-game defeat against McNeese State, Floyd was pulled after the second half’s initial series and didn’t play the rest of the year.

Joey Johnston

Alabama, Auburn both in top 10 of preseason poll

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama and Auburn are no strangers to going into seasons ranked in the Top 10 — just not at the same time.

The second-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 6 Tigers share that lofty preseason billing in The Associated Press poll for the first time since 1995 and only the fourth time ever in the storied rivalry.

It’s the Tigers’ highest preseason ranking since being No. 4 in 2006.

“We haven’t even talked about it,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “Last year nobody picked us to do anything, and so we don’t get wrapped up in that.”

The only other dual Top 10 rankings were in 1964 and 1975.

NOTRE DAME: Head coach Brian Kelly dismissed talk that he needs to do a better job of recruiting players who are better students to avoid the academic problems that have plagued the program.

“I think we’ve brought in the right young men,” he said. “I think we have to continue to do a better job educating them. We have to do a better job of providing the resources.”

Cornerback KeiVarae Russell, WR DaVaris Daniels, DE Ishaq Williams and LB Kendall Moore are being withheld from practices and games until the university completes an investigation into whether papers and homework they turned in were completed by others.